The future of water: Ontario and beyond

By Usha Srinivasan @ MaRS

March 22, 2011

Celebrating the importance of water in Ontario

It’s Canada Water Week and World Water Day! So what’s happening in Ontario’s water sector?

We are blessed with an abundance of freshwater. Ontario, which means “beautiful water”, is home to more than 250,000 lakes, not to mention the numerous rivers, streams and ground water resources. It’s nurtured a strong research and development (R&D) culture in Ontario, supported by policy.

But abundance can also blind you to the precious nature of a resource. Other jurisdictions, like Singapore, Israel and Australia, have very well laid-out conservation, reuse and recycling plans for some years now as part of their water resource management plan. Why? Because they had severe droughts and water shortage crises and had to do something in order to survive and provide clean water to their population.

We may not have to deal with such a water crisis in Ontario for generations, but we have the moral and environmental responsibility to show our future generations that this resource should not be taken for granted. I think this shift in thinking — this change — can only come from the grassroots level.

In that context, I was pleasantly surprised this past week to receive a special magazine in the mail from York region. The magazine, “Our Water Future”, was filled with articles from people around Canada and US, from organizations like the Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation, POLIS Water sustainability project, Brock University, Alliance for Water Efficiency (Chicago) and the Banff Centre. The articles covered everyday efficiencies to global change to educate and empower people to conserve water (you can download the magazine from York Region’s openwater.ca website).

But policy has a place in this, too. The government of Ontario, understanding the importance of this precious resource, passed the “Water Opportunities Act” in November, 2010.

The Water Opportunities Act will:

Make Ontario the North American leader in the development and sale of water conservation and treatment technologies
Encourage sustainable infrastructure and conservation planning using made-in-Ontario technologies to solve water, waste water and storm water infrastructure challenges
Encourage all Ontarians to use water more wisely

Key to delivering these outcomes is the creation of the Water Technology Acceleration Partnership (WaterTAP) to support research and development as well as the commercialization of new technologies and innovations in Ontario’s water sector.

The act also:

Creates partnerships to develop water innovation among universities, colleges, industry, entrepreneurs and Ontario’s government
Strengthens water efficiency and sustainable water planning for municipalities
Helps Ontarians use water more efficiently

It is clear to me that this two-pronged approach, along with municipalities playing an empowering role within their communities, will ensure a sustainable outcome for us all.

MaRS has the privilege of working with entrepreneurs and researchers who will help make this vision come true with their water conservation and treatment technologies.

Some companies of to watch:

Xogen Technologies – Waste water treatment technology
Hydromantis – Water and waste water treatment software and engineering
Echologics (a division of Mueller Co.) – A MaRS client with acoustic technology for leak detection in pipes

Now, if only someone could help me figure out how to get my son out of the shower before he uses up the whole tank of hot water every morning, I will be most grateful.

Be sure to download our reports on this burgeoning sector in Ontario:

Off the Cuff: Kelly Fallis from Remote Stylist Note: The Off the Cuff video series features informal, two-minute interviews with

Using video to tell your company story Making a company video that is memorable and has impact is a craft. The wildly successful

World Blood Donor Day: It’s in you to give! I lay on the chair staring hard out the window, ignoring my friends and squeezing a latex glove filled with warm water. It was a c

Why the medical device industry is shifting focus to early health technology assessment It’s hard to get people to believe in new and innovative products. Products that innovators (and even venture capitalists) regar

Event wrap-up: The Road to ‘Smart’ Money How important is it for Canadian companies to raise money from American investors? Do American investors optimize ex

An Avalanche is Coming: Higher education and the revolution ahead The next 50 years could see a golden age for higher education―but only if all players take

Usha Srinivasan @ MaRS

Usha Srinivasan provides market research intelligence to entrepreneurs in Ontario. Her areas of expertise include technical and market research in environmental and building technologies as well as water and wastewater treatment and management.